The present invention relates to an improved high production nutcracking apparatus, of the type disclosed for example in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,332,827; 5,623,867; 6,205,915; and 6,584,890.
The nutcracking apparatus as disclosed in the above patents includes a rotatable turret which mounts a plurality of cracking units arranged about its periphery, with each cracking unit having an opening adapted to receive an individual nut from a nut feed conveyor which comprises a plurality of nut transport elements mounted in succession on a feed chain. Each of the nut transport elements includes an upwardly open transverse receptacle for holding an individual nut, and each cracking unit on the turret has an anvil which is moved axially into the receptacle at a pickup point so that the nut is engaged between the anvil and a crack die on the other side of the opening.
In operation, the feed conveyor moves tangentally past the rotating turret so that the anvils of the cracking units enter the receptacles of respective nut transport elements at the pickup point and engage and pick up the nut. After the cracking unit and engaged nut have moved away from the pickup point, the crack die of the cracking unit in impacted by a shuttle so that the crack die applies an impact to the nut to crack the shell.
The control system for cyclically actuating the cracking units includes an air control system whereby air is selectively introduced into four ports of each cracking unit. Also, as indicated in U.S. Pat. No. 4,332,827, it is conventional to place an air oiler and a filter in the air supply manifold line, to lubricate the moving components of the cracking units. While such lubrication minimizes wear, it can cause environmental concerns resulting from the escape of oil, either as a liquid which drips to the floor or as an oil mist which enters the surrounding atmosphere.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a lubrication system for a high speed nutcracking apparatus of the described type, and which is substantially sealed so as to minimize the escape of the oil, either as a liquid or in the form of an oil mist.
The above and other objects and advantages of the invention are achieved by the provision of an essentially closed lubrication system which incorporates an oil recovery system for recovering oil from the air/oil mixture after it has been delivered to and exhausted from the cracking units. The recovery system includes a cowling sleeve attached to the valve plate of the turret so as to surround the radial periphery of the end plate and the filtering pad of the turret. The cowling sleeve has an annular free end remote from the valve plate and defines an annular collection chamber surrounding the periphery of the filtering pad and the end plate. Also, a drain communicates with the lower portion of the collection chamber, and an annular barrier member is provided for restricting the flow of oil which is received in the collection chamber in a direction toward said free end of the cowling sleeve and so that the oil is guided into the drain.
An oil tank is provided for receiving any oil exiting from the drain of the collection chamber and from an exhaust line which is connected to an opening of the valve plate which vents the air from the cracking units. Also, an oil recirculation system is provided for delivering oil from the tank to the air delivery system to form the oil mist component of the pressurized air delivered to the cracking units.
The oil tank has a first upper chamber communicating with the drain and with the exhaust line, a second upper chamber communicating with an outlet line, a lower oil delivery line communicating with the oil recirculation system, and a perforated baffle plate positioned to extend downwardly into oil in the tank and separating the first and second upper chambers from each other.
The turret further includes an axial support shaft extending along its rotational axis, with the shaft extending through aligned openings in each of the end plate, the felt pad, and the valve plate. A resilient sealing gasket is disposed between the shaft and each of the end plate and the valve plate.